From The Archives: Lastarandre Bell convicted of 1st degree murder

Editor's note: This story is from the April 12, 2008 edition of The Republican. This is the original news article that accompanied the first degree felony murder conviction of Lastarandre Bell; that conviction was overturned on Monday by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court:

File photo | The RepublicanThis Jan. 8, 2007 photo shows the home at 11 Warner St., Springfield, where a gasoline-fueled fire took the life of Julie Ann Nieves, 49.

SPRINGFIELD - Lastarandre Bell, convicted of first-degree murder yesterday in Hampden Superior Court, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Bell, 32, of Springfield, was convicted in the death of Julie Ann Nieves, who died several weeks after an incident Jan. 7, 2007, in which Bell forced his way into a Warner Street home and started a fire, using gasoline as an accelerant.

Nieves, 49, who suffered second- and third-degree burns to more than 90 percent of her body, was the mother of Jessica Nieves, Bell's former girlfriend.

Judge Cornelius J. Moriarty II sentenced Bell, who was represented by George E. Murphy Jr., to the mandatory sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole.

Bell was also found guilty of home invasion, arson of a dwelling house, and two counts of violating a restraining order.

The two rows of family members of Julie Ann Nieves held hands as the verdict was read and hugged and cried outside the courtroom.

Eight of the 12 jurors who decided the case came into the courtroom after the verdict was delivered to listen to the sentencing and victim-impact statements.

About a dozen family members of Julie Ann Nieves attended the trial each day.
Elliott Cruz, of Chicopee, the victim's nephew, said the family was satisfied and pleased with the jurors' verdict. "We know it is tough for them to render a verdict such as we received today," he said.

He said since the jury deliberated for several hours Thursday and until about 2 p.m. yesterday, the family was nervous but still believed the prosecution had presented a strong case.

Cruz said that the family thanked District Attorney William M. Bennett, the prosecutor Assistant District Attorney Brett J. Vottero, victim witness advocate Kathleen O'Connor, Springfield and state police and the emergency medical services personnel who responded to the fire.
Cruz and Jessica Nieves, 21, each read a number of impact statements to the judge during the sentencing hearing.

" Lastarandre Bell took a large part of our lives," Jessica Nieves said on behalf of herself and her brother, Daniel. "The one thing our mother wanted was to see Danny graduate from high school, but she died before that happened. Our mother was everything to us."
Juana Cruz, Julie Ann's mother, wrote, " Lastarandre Bell took my fourth youngest daughter away from me. As a mother of nine daughters, to lose her has been very hard for me."

In a collective statement the eight sisters wrote, "Julie was a chain of nine sisters and Lastarandre Bell broke that chain. As sisters we were very close. We enjoyed each other's company."